West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. has announced the planned curtailment of operations at Cariboo Pulp & Paper located in Quesnel, British Columbia, beginning in mid-April for a month and then for another month in the third quarter.
In a press release, West Fraser said the decision “is the result of the decline in availability of sawmill residuals. The fibre supply challenge in British Columbia is well documented. Infestation, fire, and government policy decisions have all impacted the amount of available fibre in the province.”
“Downtime at the mill will better align production capacity with the available fiber supply. These plans may be adjusted should fiber forecasts change,” stated Mercer International.
Jointly owned by West Fraser and Mercer International, Cariboo Pulp & Paper expects to mitigate some of the impact on its affected employees through vacation scheduling and alternative work assignments.
ABOUT CARIBOO PULP & PAPER
Cariboo Pulp & Paper (CPP) commenced production in November 1972 with a daily production of 675 tonnes of northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp. Located in Quesnel, British Columbia, the mill is a 50/50 joint venture between Mercer International Inc. and West Fraser Mills Ltd..
CPP has an annual production output of 336,000 tonnes of high-quality ECF NBSK and a workforce of approximately 400 committed team members.
Regarded for its superior length of fibres, Cariboo pulp is used in the manufacturing of a variety of paper products that include printing and writing paper, tissue, and specialty grades.
